McCrerey 1

Ryan McCrerey
Karen Tucker
ENC2135
17 July 2016

Research Paper Progress Report

Introduction:
My research topic is the influence of drugs on music. The reason I chose this topic is because it
has always intrigued me with the immense amount of drug use and reference in the culture of
music. I am hoping to learn about specific areas of music that the drug culture has directly
impacted and influenced.

Bibliography:
Clemens, Samuel Langhorn, et al. Primarytitle. Trans. Henry David Thoreau and Emily
Elizabeth Dickenson. Eds. Ralph Waldo Emerson, William Butler Yeats, and Robert Lee Frost.
Edition ed. Volume Vol. PlaceofPub: Publisher, PubYear. Thirdtitle Database. Web.
RetrievedDate.(Clemens et al. StartPg-OtherPg)Samuel Langhorn Clemens, et al. PrimaryTitle.
Trans. Henry David Thoreau and Emily Elizabeth Dickenson. Eds. Ralph Waldo Emerson,
William Butler Yeats and Robert Lee Frost. Edition ed. Volume Vol. PlaceofPub: Publisher,
PubYear. Database. Web. RetrievedDate.

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This journal focuses on the influence music has had on societys substance use and analyzes this
using statistics. The journal analyzes the 100 top Billboard songs for the years
1968,1978,1988,1998 and 2008 and out of this pool of songs determines percentages of drug and
alcohol references. This is relatable to the topic because it shows a direct relationship between
drugs and music in the public perspective. All three of the authors are Communications majors
and all have experience in the field of music.
VA mortality for world war II army veterans. (1992). American Journal of Public Health, 82(1),
124. Retrieved from https://login.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/login?
url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/215122559?accountid=4840
In the America Journal of Public Health article, it includes a study done on kids in an LA high
school where they anonymously stated the music they listen to, the group of friends they listen to
the music with and the substances they might use. By musical genre, this article designates
which drugs are most affiliated with the specific genre based on the results of the survey. This
relates to my topic because it gives data on how the youth is affected by all types of music. All
the authors of this article have PhDs and are involved in drug prevention in California.
Herd, Denise. "Changes In Drug Use Prevalence In Rap Music Songs, 1979-1997." Addiction
Research & Theory 16.2 (2008): 167-180. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 July 2016.
This journal discusses how the image of drugs in rap music has changed from the years 19791997. The article states how the image and reference of drugs in rap music has steadily increased
and glorifies drugs in a social aspect. The article gives statistics regarding specific drugs and
their popularity in rap over the years. This article is relative because it explains the influence of
drugs on rap from the birth through the Golden Age of hip hop. The author of this article is from

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the School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley and the article is a publication
from Informa Healthcare.
Hesse, Morten. "Enhancement Drugs: Are There Limits To What We Should Enhance And
Why?." BMC Medicine 8.(2010): 50-53. Academic Search Complete. Web. 17 July 2016.
This journal analyzes the history of drug and alcohol use regarding humans from thousands of
years ago to present day. The journal analyzes the effects different drugs have on a wide range of
planes such as sex, sports, education as well as art and music. This journal is really good for the
paper Im writing. It not only gives insight on drug use and humans but analyzes all aspects of
the affects drugs have had on society. For the reasons mentioned above, this journal is relatable
to my research topic. This article is a peer reviewed journal published by the medical company
BMC Medicine.
Lim, Megan S. C., et al. "A Cross-Sectional Survey Of Young People Attending A Music Festival:
Associations Between Drug Use And Musical Preference." Drug & Alcohol Review 27.4 (2008):
439-441. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. Web. 17 July 2016.
This journal uses a sample of 939 Australians who regularly attend music festivals. In the journal
it discusses the prevalent use of drugs amongst Australias youth and establishes that the people
who regularly attend music festivals are more likely to use drugs than the general public. This
journal also categorizes different drugs and their popularity amongst the sample. This is relative
because music festivals have always been affiliated with drugs as early as Woodstock. All the
authors of this journal are in the medical field in Australia and come from schools of medicine.

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Poon, Stephen T. F. "Love, Peace And Psychedelia: The Role Of Symbols In The Sixties
Counterculture." International Journal Of Multidisciplinary Approach & Studies 3.1 (2016):
155-172. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 July 2016.
In this journal, it discusses the counterculture which began in the 1960s and the influence drugs
had on this movement and this time period. The journal talks about, hippies, and focuses
specifically on LSD and Cannabis use amongst this group during this era. The article also
describes the affect drugs had on the cover art and context of music during this era. This is
relatable to my topic because it correlates drug use with a change of culture and attitude amongst
the youth of America. The author of this article has a PhD in Visual Sociology, Urban/Rural
Sociology and communications.
Rush, Michael. "Northern Soul: Music, Drugs And Sub-Cultural Identity, By Andrew Wilson."
Drugs: Education, Prevention & Policy 17.3 (2010): 284-285. SPORTDiscus with Full Text.
Web. 17 July 2016.
This book review summarizes the book Northern Souls: Music, drugs, and subcultural identity.
The book discusses the relationship between drugs and the Northern Souls movement on both the
origin of the movement in England and its in blues and jazz in America. This relates to the
research topic because it explains the influence of drugs on a musical movement and a
subculture. This book review was published by Informa Healthcare and Andrew Wilson the
author of Northern Soul: Music, drugs and sub-cultural identity is an esteemed journalist who
has written for agencies such as the Guardian and the Daily Telegraph.
Bhaddock. "The Hippie Counter Culture Movement (1960s) Mortal Journey." Mortal
Journey. N.p., 12 Apr. 2014. Web. 18 July 2016.

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This article gives a in depth history of the counterculture movement and hippies in the 1960s. It
references multiple artists and covers a key time period for music and drug use. The article is
useful and relatable because it gives a lot of information on an era which will be touched on in
the research paper. This is a non-academic journal so there is no real authenticity to the author
besides historical fact.
Garcia, Luis M. "Drugs Policies and Electronic Music Culture." Resident Advisor. N.p., 6 Jan.
2016. Web. 18 July 2016.
This article analyzes the influence of drugs in the relatively new Electric Dance Music culture
which is essentially modern raving. The article discusses how rave music has evolved over the
years and its close relationship with drugs, specifically ecstasy and MDMA. The article useful in
the sense that is contemporary and discusses a current musical genre that is huge amongst the
youth of the world. The author of this article has a PhD in Music Philosophy and has written
several articles regarding music.
Shaw, Shaka. "The Evolution of Drugs in Hip-Hop." EBONY. N.p., 11 Sept. 2013. Web. 18 July
2016
This article describes different drugs that are prevalent in rap and hip-hop and gives a history of
how the drugs were introduced into the rap scene and the impact these drugs had. In the article
several artists are mentioned as well as songs that contain drug references. This article gives one
insight on modern rap and the drug infused subject matter included in the music. This article is
relative because it describes the relationship drugs have with rap music, which is one of the most
popular genres today.

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Summary:
From the research Ive done I have found multiple academic as well as non-academic journals
regarding the influence and relationship between drugs and music. It has become apparent that
many people have noticed there is a definitive relationship between music and drug use across all
musical genres. I feel the research I have done so far has given me plenty of information to write
a valid paper on this topic. There is a little more research to be done, but mainly just for personal
accounts which will give a firsthand perspective of musicians and their experience with the drugs
theyve used. The paper will be general, not really focusing on one specific area but mainly
covering music as a whole, as the point of the paper is to show that drugs has influenced not just
a few musical genres, but just about all of them.